RMIT University researchers have created a strong and lightweight titanium material that floats in water, even after severe damage, revealing a new material for marine infrastructure.
The 3D-printed titanium lattice is made up of hollow, interconnected struts filled with foam that withstands seawater exposure. The researchers say the material is stronger than the stainless steel or high-density plastic currently used in jetties, buoys, and floating sensors.
Testing showed the team’s titanium structure was 70% stronger than the stainless steel or high-density polyethylene widely used in marine applications, when compared at the same overall density.
RMIT reports it also performed well in short-term corrosion testing using natural seawater from Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay. After two weeks of immersion, the lattice lost only 0.15% of its mass while its strength declined by less than 1%.
Lead researcher from RMIT’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing Jordan Noronha says the engineers had created a structure that allows water to flow through it while remaining buoyant even after cracking and damage.
The study is the first reported demonstration of a floating metal-hybrid lattice metamaterial, while its sustained buoyancy was validated by samples that floated in freshwater for more than two months.
Researchers now intend to scale up the technology and test its performance under longer term and deep-sea conditions.
What could this mean for explorers?
For the titanium exploration sector, RMIT’s research is another example of how the metal’s value extends beyond traditional applications.
Titanium is already valued for its strength, low weight, and corrosion resistance. Innovations such as RMIT’s floating lattice could open the door to new applications where those characteristics are particularly valuable.
That creates an interesting backdrop for companies searching for new titanium deposits.
One company already positioning itself around that opportunity is Empire Metals (LSE:EEE), which is advancing the Pitfield Titanium Project in Western Australia.
Pitfield boasts a resource of 8.16 billion tonnes (Bt) @ 4.3% titanium dioxide (TiO2) for 349 million tonnes (Mt) of contained TiO2, across the Thomas and Cosgrove deposits.
In the measured category, the resource totals 374Mt @ 5.8% TiO2 for 21.6Mt, while the indicated category contains 3.65Bt @ 4.3% TiO2 for 154.7Mt. Meanwhile, in the inferred category, the resource totals 4.2Bt @ 4.1% TiO2 for 173Mt.
Managing Director Shaun Bunn says the resource comes just weeks after the company demonstrated an integrated flowsheet based on conventional processing steps, producing titanium dioxide at better than 99% purity.
“We now have both halves of the equation: a titanium resource of exceptional scale and an integrated processing route designed to produce high-value products,” Bunn says.
“Pitfield has the hallmarks of a tier-one titanium project: scale, grade, simple mining methods, processing route based on conventional processing steps, and direct access to global markets, in a strategically important mining-friendly jurisdiction.”
During H2 2026, the company is conducting mine planning, engineering, and economic studies that will underpin the project’s ongoing development.
Detailed engineering studies based on the current flowsheet have begun, and continuous pilot-scale test work will validate the process design criteria ahead of Feasibility Studies, while producing bulk product samples.
Work is already underway to support a further resource upgrade in mid-2027, focusing on converting the indicated resource to the measured category.
Empire Metals is looking beyond simply producing a conventional titanium concentrate, with the company potentially positioning the project further down the titanium value chain.
That downstream positioning is increasingly important as new technologies open up a wider range of potential applications for titanium.
For explorers such as Empire Metals, a discovery is only the starting point. The bigger prize is developing a resource capable of supplying the titanium products that emerging technologies may demand.
RMIT’s floating titanium is considered a useful illustration of that trend.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: RMIT University
